


Together Now, Forever and Always

by neosaiyanangel



Category: Final Fantasy XII
Genre: Battle Couple, Fake Marriage, Feelings Realization, Light Angst, M/M, Marriage, Marriage Proposal, Post-Canon Fix-It
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-28
Updated: 2020-05-28
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:27:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24417355
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/neosaiyanangel/pseuds/neosaiyanangel
Summary: Gabranth makes the rough journey from the Estersand back to Archades to find much has changed. Larsa is getting married! And to Gabranth’s irritation, it isn’t to him. Or is it?
Relationships: Gabranth | Noah fon Ronsenburg/Larsa Ferrinas Solidor
Comments: 11
Kudos: 5
Collections: Fandom 5K 2020





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Welsper](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Welsper/gifts).



Gabranth eased himself into his leather armor stiffly. His muscles still ached from his travels from the wastes of Dalmasca back to Archadia. And that was _after_ waking up in the remains of the Bahamut. Apparently he'd been laid to rest by his brother and his friends immediately after the battle. No one had thought to check fully whether he was alive or unconscious.

_Larsa_...Gabranth felt foolish for what he had done. He protected his dearest liege at a cost. He'd nearly died for such a small thing. The stress he must have put his lord under must have been immense. Vayne was many things, but he loved his brother above all else. Larsa was the future of the empire.

It had not been Larsa that had welcomed him back first. In fact, Gabranth had been stopped from entering the palace at all! He'd had to sneak his way in like some infiltrating rebel and snuck up to someone who knew him, a Judge Magister.

To his embarrassment, it had been Basch. His brother, having taken on his mantle, actually made Gabranth feel like trusting Basch hadn't been a waste. He'd protected Larsa in Gabranth's stead. He would never forget that. He owed Basch.

Now he was in his old chamber, the one Basch had claimed while he was gone. It was returned now with a few irritating changes. _Why had Basch had his curio moved_?! It had been perfectly situated in harmony with the rest of the room. Now it and the rest of the furniture were in practical disarray!

It would be something to tend to another time. For now, he had a more important matter to attend to.

He had to report to Larsa. Give the rundown on his travels and be reassigned to new duties. He was certain he would no longer be leading the 9th. No, Larsa would move him. Where to was a mystery.

Gabranth adjusted the straps so everything fit as it should. He took a breath in and out.

It was time to face his judgment.

* * *

Gabranth stood patiently outside of the emperor's main office. The place where he made official policies. He was as calm as he could be. Perfectly put together on the outside. Inside? His guts were roiling.

Larsa had to understand that it was all necessary. That Gabranth did what he could. It was perfectly explanatory.

So why was Gabranth so uneasy?

Suddenly the doors opened. A couple of soldiers from the main corps walked out. One continued on the pathway to the barracks, taking a moment to salute Gabranth, while the other stopped in front of him.

"Emperor Larsa has summoned you to his chamber alone. We shall return in 15 minutes, as instructed." With that, she, too, walked down the corridor.

Gabranth walked into the office with purpose. It was simple: he would do exactly as his wise lord commanded. That was the reason this entire mess played out as it did, after all. Larsa was completely competent. His rule was just and even. Whatever he had planned for Gabranth was exactly what would be needed.

The scrabbling of an inkpen on paper echoed throughout the chamber. It was no mystery as to the source. Larsa was fully focused on the paper in his hand.

Gabranth stopped in front of the desk and waited.

"I see you decided to stop playing dead." The words were sarcastic with a touch of something Gabranth couldn't immediately pin down.

"I had to live to serve you," Gabranth noted. "I'm no use to you dead."

"No, you aren't." Larsa set the pen down and got up from his chair. To Gabranth's surprise, the emperor had grown slightly since he'd last seen him. He was still far shorter than Gabranth, but it was still a notable difference. He walked around the desk to Gabranth's left. He turned to face his liege who was sizing him up. "I see a few new scars about you."

"A little unavoidable," Gabranth said. "Especially when I'm prematurely buried."

"That's a funny little tale," Larsa chuckled. "You see, the sky pirate had said that you were dead. The Viera with him confirmed it. So imagine my shock when I got a message saying that you had returned! I had wondered if you had come back as an undead." Another chuckle. "I wouldn't be surprised if you had."

"I don't think any of us would be," Gabranth said dryly.

"Indeed." Larsa seemed to think for a moment.

Then, suddenly, Gabranth was nearly bowled over as Larsa practically tackled him.

"You fool! What were you trying to accomplish?" Larsa said, a waver in his voice. "You surely didn't think you could have beaten Vayne as he was?"

"I was trying to protect you," Gabranth insisted.

"Foolishness. You, you fool!" Larsa accused.

"Yes, I hear you. I'm a fool." He meant it, too. Larsa was right. He normally was.

"Well." Larsa rubbed his face on Gabranth's clothes. The wetness indicated he was crying. Yet when he pulled away his eyes were dry. "Now that you are back, you can help with the planning."

"Planning?" Gabranth was curious. "Planning for what?"

"Planning my wedding to Lady Ashe."


	2. Chapter 2

"What."

Larsa looked up at him. "Hm? What is it?"

"You're marrying...that princess?" Gabranth was flabbergasted. Surely this was a joke? It pulled at his heart in an unexpected way. He almost felt _betrayed_.

His liege looked at his face for a moment before a light seemed to go off in his head. Laughing now, Larsa noted, "You seem to have misunderstood." He leaned towards Gabranth conspiratorially. "It's a sham. A ruse to bring out the underground movement to restore the empire to its glory."

Gabranth felt himself relax as he murmured, "Really?"

"Oh yes." Larsa began circling Gabranth as he said, "Ever since Dalmasca regained its independence, there has been a whisper throughout the kingdom of unrest. A call for things to go back to when we were still competing for the Nethicite." Larsa waved his hand. "Rubbish. Pure rubbish. What the kingdom needs now is stability and peace. Not more warfare." He stopped in front of Gabranth and looked up with a serious expression on his face. "But some seem to not understand that. They think the empire is only good when it is subjugating others.

"There is no proof as of yet, but a good amount of grumbling seems to be coming from the Senate." He closed a fist. "Those presumptuous fools...reaching for more power even when we have our fill."

"Can you not just deny them?" Gabranth asked.

Larsa shook his head. "Things have changed since you were gone. The emperor has been stripped of many of his - _my_ \- power. We have to play it smart. Reveal the plot through our own plans to strip them of their own power in the end."

"And this fake wedding is the only way you can see."

"Unfortunately, yes," Larsa said regretfully. "Its very nature is inflammatory enough to spur them to action. They won't be able to resist trying to take power then and there. Perhaps even marking me a traitor for 'conspiring' with Lady Ashe."

Gabranth nodded. "I see."

A teasing smile crossed Larsa's face. "You should be my best man."

The judge couldn't stop his full-body balk. "My liege, I'm not sure-"

"I am." Larsa took Gabranth's hands into his own. "I trust you far beyond any of my other soldiers. To have you beside me on that day would mean quite a bit to me." A disarming smirk accompanied, "After all, you _are_ our best. You'll protect me. I have no doubt about it. And it would be the perfect pairing! Lady Ashe has chosen Basch as her second."

Gabranth swallowed, trying to not pet his emperor's hands. "I expect you have a solid plan?"

"Absolutely! As solid as anything I come up with."

"Which means you'll be flying by the seat of your pants," Gabranth noted flatly.

"Pardon?" Larsa looked mock offended. "Who, precisely, ended up emperor after that entire mess with Vayne going god on everyone?"

"Pure. Dumb. Luck." Gabranth enunciated each word to emphasize how much they meant.

"You doubt me?" This time the offense seemed genuine.

"I...do not," Gabranth felt reluctant to admit.

The plan sounded _awful_...though that may have just been his heart talking. He took a moment to center himself and to think it through. He didn't like the idea of Larsa marrying anyone but himse- _anyone_ , but his liege was wise beyond his years. He'd likely thought it all through no matter how instantaneous his planning seemed to be. There would be no true surprises during the uprising. Larsa would see everything coming.

"I do not doubt you," Gabranth repeated, this time more assured.

"Good." Larsa dropped Gabranth's hands. "We'll need to get you into the tailor to prepare your dress."

"Oh dear." Horror ate through the judge's guts as he vacantly murmured, "Not the ceremonial dress."

"What?! Heavens no!" Larsa grumbled under his breath, "I'm not putting that on again." Shaking his head, he more loudly said, "No. Instead…" He looked mighty proud of himself. "...as a show of good grace, we'll be adopting Dalmascan dress. We'll keep armor on per their traditions. It will simply need a redesign."

Gabranth let out a breath. "Thank goodness. I had enough of that... _thing_ when I was granted my rank as Judge Magister."

"Don't worry. As soon as I can, I'm abolishing that 'tradition'," Larsa assured him as he took a piece of paper from his desk and scribbled something on it.

"Good. It's rather degrading."

"Agreed." Larsa presented the paper to Gabranth with a flourish. "Here. Take this to the tailor in the west wing. She'll get you set up with gear proper for a wedding."

"Right." Gabranth wondered for a moment on what Larsa would be wearing. A nicely fitting white suit, with a handsome cumberbund and neckerchief. Perhaps a stylish cane inlaid with the Solidor crest. He would be walking down the aisle to Gabranth-

"Gabranth!" The judge shook his head as he realized Larsa was waving a hand in his face. The young emperor laughed. "Your head went somewhere else."

Gabranth swallowed. "Yes, it did."

Larsa took on an air of importance as he waved Gabranth away like an elite waving a beggar away. "Well? Shouldn't you be on your way?"

"Yes, my lord," Gabranth noted with an embarrassed bow. He swiftly turned on his heel and practically ran out the door, face red and breath heavy from his thoughts.

* * *

Gabranth was...uneasy. How could he not be? Larsa, setting up a trap like that with himself as bait...it, unfortunately, made sense. But...to risk losing _Larsa_ to a rebellious set of traitors? It made his stomach turn.

He'd retired to his chamber for the day. The work with the tailor had gone smoothly. She had said that the armor would be ready post-haste. How she could work a set of armor that fast he didn't know. The wedding was to take place in a few days' time.

He swallowed. Wedding. Larsa. Marrying someone. It made him feel off. Upset. Like...like Larsa should be with _him_.

How selfish and delusional. Why would the emperor choose to be with one of his soldiers? He was far better suited for other royalty such as Ashe.

Belatedly he realized his fists had clenched hard. The small book in his hands had the pages crushed into practical origami.

Gabranth sighed.

Suddenly there was a knock at his chamber door. He got up to answer it. Whoever it was had no business bothering him while he was still recovering.

He cracked the door open, an admonishing comment on the tip of his tongue, when he was stopped short.

"Noah."

What else could he say? Gabranth stepped to the side and mumbled, "Basch."

Basch entered. Gabranth closed the door and followed him into the room. Irritation again flooded Gabranth as he remembered that the reason Basch was so cosy in here was because he'd temporarily moved into it.

He kept his arguments held. There had to be a reason Basch was paying him a visit and he doubted it was to apologize for ruining the flow of his room. But before he did, he had something he needed to do first.

"I need to say something to you, Basch," Gabranth started as Basch settled against the writing desk.

"I have important words to say as well." There was amusement in his eyes. "However, I will allow you the first words."

"Thank you." Gabranth sighed heavily as he sank into the chair in the corner. His eyes pinched, he said, "I must say thank you again. Thank you for taking care of my emperor. Of establishing the empire that he can rule over with wisdom. For tearing yourself away from your queen to do this for me." He shifted uncomfortably. "Especially after how I'd treated you."

"You do indeed owe me quite a lot," Basch said. The amusement hadn't left. If anything, it had increased. "I could have easily torn your kingdom asunder considering how much control you have of everything. A few ill-timed words here and orders there would've seen everything crumble."

Gabranth couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth. "Do you really think Larsa would've let you do that?"

"It wouldn't be a matter of 'let'. He trusts you completely."

"He trusts _me_ completely. You? Not so much," Gabranth pointed out.

"Perhaps. Or perhaps he would've been so taken in by the fact that we're twins that he would've simply forgotten that I wasn't you. Except, well, I suppose that isn't as true as I think it is," Basch said.

"I doubt it." Gabranth watched his brother carefully. The conversation had taken a turn for the strange. Connecting some dots, he asked, "What was it that you needed to talk with me about?"

"Nothing too exciting." The words themselves had a tinge of excitement in them, like he was holding back how much fun he got out of it. "Mostly about you and Larsa."

"Oh?" Gabranth clasped his hands together and settled his head on them.

"You two...are more than a master and his servant, aren't you?" The direct fashion he said it in was almost insulting.

"Pardon?" Gabranth put all his distaste into that one word.

"Larsa was rather peculiar for 'my' liege." Basch was more cool as he said, "There were occasions where he tried to share an inside joke of some sort with me and I didn't understand. On other occasions he would have to stop and choke on some words when I walked into a room until he regained himself."

"Nothing strange about that," Gabranth said. "He and I are very close."

"He also kept impulsively hugging me. And once, just before you came back, he broke down."

Gabranth's heart froze. He muttered, "Broke down?"

"He was a mess. I was called to his chamber to go over the wedding plan and he just...reacted. He kept begging me to be 'his' Gabranth." Basch crossed his arms. "He even cursed me out for taking your place!"

"That sounds very unlike Larsa," Gabranth said vacantly, the image of his lord losing himself to grief tearing his heart to pieces.

"That's why I weathered it until he'd calmed down. He was rather embarrassed by the whole thing. I was sent away with the order not to appear before him again until called." Basch smirked at him. "And then you came back the next day."

"And then I came back," Gabranth repeated, thinking.

"Larsa practically threw me out the second he heard the news. I was forced out of his circle of trust and back on the outside with Queen Ashe." Again he was amused. "I was instantly moved from these chambers to the guest chambers with the rest of the party from Dalmasca."

"The rest of…?" Gabranth felt very behind. He hadn't realized that all the players were here already.

"Yes. The mock wedding will take place in a couple of days. The 'real' wedding two days after that." Basch shook his head. "I feel like our lieges are being rather cavalier about their lives."

"On that we can agree," the judge grumbled.

They were silent for a good long while. It was a little agonizing, to be in the same room with his brother. His brother that he disliked yet owed so much to. It spurred him to ask something he normally wouldn't ask.

"So, he really was asking for 'his' Gabranth?" he asked Basch.

"Oh yes. He missed you terribly. Almost…" A quirk struck his lips. "...like a lover."

Did Basch just dare? Yes, he did. That bastard! So _that's_ why he found all of this funny!

"You…" Gabranth snapped, "How could you say something like that?!"

"I speak what I feel is true," Basch defended lightly. "Clearly you and Larsa have some, ahem, boundary issues."

"If you want to continue to speak ill of my liege, you will do it elsewhere." Gabranth got up and stormed for the door. Basch followed behind him. The judge threw it open and snarled, "Get out!"

"You two should have an honest talk." Basch stepped out into the hallway. "I think you two are of one mind more than you think."

Gabranth answered that with a swift shutting of his door in Basch's face. Worked up now, he practically stomped his way back to the middle of his greeting room.

How _dare_ Basch say such things?! Assuming Larsa had feelings like that! Gabranth wasn't enough for Larsa, his wise and benevolent liege. In fact, he was lowly. It was a surprise he was allowed so close to the emperor.

...But what if it were true? What if…

Gabranth shook his head. No. Dreaming of things like that wasn't productive. What he _should_ be doing is getting debriefed on everything. Clearly he was behind on things. He didn't know if Larsa was simply trying to keep things easy for him or what. Whatever the reason, it was detrimental to the plan at large.

Still, the idea wouldn't leave him.


	3. Chapter 3

"This is strange," Gabranth murmured to Basch as the two of them were taking their places at the head of the religious institution's building. He didn't know what god it was, and he didn't really want to know. If it was the Occuria, he wouldn't be able to help but to rush out with Larsa before their slimy claws could dig back into everyone's lives. This was what he got for separating himself from the matters of religion.

The building was large and open, with wooden pews set up in rows on either side of an aisle. There were candles, murals, and stained glass depicting all kinds of strange things. There was one that he would've sworn was a three-headed dog of some kind dragging the damned into a river.

It had already been decorated for the wedding, and was still being decorated. White flowers of various species were bundled together and hung from the rafters in large swathes. There were still even more flowers and some white chocobo feathers set on the ground at the edges of the room. Where those would go Gabranth hadn't a clue. There were ribbons and crests of all sorts that were strategically placed around the room.

It was very soft. Very unlike what Gabranth had pictured with them all having wedding armor.

"It's a very strange ceremony," Basch whispered back. "It dates back to before Nabudis was even a kingdom."

"Hm." Gabranth shook his head. Very strange. Trying to recenter himself, he asked, "What are we waiting for, standing here like fools? Where is Larsa?"

"The groom will march down the aisle along with Queen Ashe. They will take their places here with us and say their vows of bonding. Well…" Basch smirked. " _Modified_ vows. Vows that hold no significance. They shall pose with their weapons held high before being led back down the aisle with their best knights."

"Us," Gabranth said sourly. Having to stand and watch Larsa exchange vows, even if they are meaningless? How can he hold his tongue?

He shook his head. Now was not the time to daydream of things that would never happen.

Suddenly music began playing. Basch stood at attention, signaling Gabranth to do the same. Gabranth complied reluctantly as he looked to the back of the room.

There, in impractically decorated armor, Larsa stood. He walked in from the left while Ashe had walked in from the right. They met in the middle and began marching towards Gabranth and Basch.

Gabranth's breath was taken away as he fully took in Larsa. The armor may have been overly decorative, but it did a good job making him seem taller, more matured than he actually was. His throat was drying at an alarming rate. He swallowed hard as he watched his liege walk down the aisle confidently. He was stunning.

He then realized something that stunned him even more. _Gabranth was entirely and utterly in love with Larsa_.

He barely took in the ceremony. He didn't _want_ to. Seeing the vows just made his heart ache horribly. _He_ should be the one standing there, trading vows of eternal love. Why was fate so cruel? He kept reminding himself that it was fake. That it meant nothing. But the words he was hearing.

Eternal bonds.

Always together, never apart.

Binding together as one.

Those words stung at Gabranth's heart. At the same time, it let him know what he must do. And, hopefully, it wasn't the worst choice.

He withstood the ceremony as best he could. Larsa looked quite amused throughout it, though he kept shooting Gabranth glances. Strange glances that pulled at Gabranth's heart.

...He was reading too much into it. It...it was just Basch's words affecting him, even with his plan.

The priest at the front said some more words. Then, like a status ailment breaking, everything livened up. Ashe and Larsa relaxed, as did Basch. Gabranth couldn't help but to still stand at attention. There _was_ the chance that they could be assaulted at the rehearsal, after all.

As he looked to the door, expecting it to suddenly open and a wave of traitors flood in, he was snapped out of it by an elbow in his side. Slightly miffed, he looked down to see his liege standing there with a smarmy grin on his face.

"So, what did you think of the show?" Larsa said. "We're rather convincing, aren't we?"

"Yes, you are." Unfortunately.

"I expect that this won't all go to waste," his emperor said as he looked around. "It's far too grand to simply let it fester as a distraction."

A lump formed in Gabranth's throat. "Oh?"

"Oh yes." Larsa's grin grew. "Perhaps Lady Ashe will ask someone to marry her. Or…" Now he was full-on smiling. "...maybe I have someone in mind."

"Who in the world would you want to marry in a gaudy ceremony like this?" Gabranth practically snapped.

Larsa seemed to take no note of Gabranth's irritation. "You should expect it to be someone I trust more than anyone."

Gabranth blinked. "Vayne died on the Bahamut."

 _Now_ his liege laughed. "Oh, you'll see. I plan on making it a delightful surprise to everyone."

His heart skipped, imagining Larsa marrying someone else. But...if...it made Larsa happy...he would support it. He couldn't help the look over to Basch. Basch was looking back at him with amusement. Smug little…!

"Anyway, this is pretty much what you should expect. Except around the time we say 'always together, never apart' the walls will explode and we'll be facing the Senate's lackeys," Larsa said rather easily. "That's when we'll all play our parts in taking them down."

"Will it just be us fighting them off?" Gabranth asked quietly. He was surprised Larsa was saying this so openly, even if it was just himself, Ashe, Basch, and Larsa there. Even the priest had left at the end of the mock wedding.

"What? Oh no. Nonono." Larsa shook his head. "While we _will_ take the brunt of the fighting - us, Lady Ashe, Basch, her knights, and our Judge Magisters - Lady Ashe has her own forces set up to counterattack as we can't trust any of our men. We won't be completely overwhelmed." He smirked. "Just mostly."

"I see." His liege was being rather cavalier about this business. But, again, Gabranth trusted him to know what he was doing.

"But! That's for the 'wedding'. We must decide what to do for tonight!" Larsa hooked his arm into Gabranth's and began leading him towards the exit. "Let us go enjoy some fine Rabanastran dining provided by Lady Ashe's chefs while talking about your journey from the Dalmascan Estersand back to Archades."

Gabranth was surprised to realize that he actually hadn't been debriefed. He'd been so absorbed by the news of the wedding that he'd forgotten. How strange that Larsa hadn't pressed for it.

"I could start now if you would like," he offered to his liege.

"And spoil our dinner date with trite discussions? We can't have that!"

Gabranth choked a little. Dinner date. Must he be so teasing? Especially now that Gabranth had realized…

"As you wish," he managed to say as they left the cathedral.

* * *

It was a very heart-wrenching set of hours later that saw Gabranth back in his chambers.

The dinner had been excellent. Delightful. Everything he had pictured a date with his liege as. Larsa had been so open, and their discussion had been so full of life…

How could this have happened? Yes, Larsa was wise, and intelligent, and rather good-looking. His very presence set Gabranth's heart racing. But to fall in love with him? Worse, for his liege to comment that he might ask someone to marry him? He wasn't sure he could take a genuine wedding.

That was where Gabranth's ill-advised plan came in. He would strike first. It was necessary to keep his conscience clear. He wouldn't live with himself if he didn't try.

First on his list: discuss with the tailor some modifications to his armor…


	4. Chapter 4

Here it was. The wedding. Gabranth had donned his modified armor with only a bit of tension. He'd examined his appearance in the mirror before he left. Nothing was out of place. Every chocobo feathers was unbroken, there were no dents in the armor itself...he'd even tucked a few flowers in strategic points of his armor.

At the same time, he was preparing for a fight. He made sure his Chaos Blade and Highway Star were attached at his side. Gabranth had done a rather good job in putting on superficial modifications to make them look ceremonial. They were just as sharp as ever, and ready to feast on the blood of Larsa's enemies.

He'd met with the other Judge Magistrates before they headed out in their group to the venue. If any of them had a comment on Gabranth's armor changes they didn't say anything. Then again, they were more new-blooded. They likely were too intimidated by him to say much.

When they got to the cathedral, most of the guests had already arrived. Aristocracy from both kingdoms were filtering in. All as self-absorbed as one would expect from the upper crust. It was likely none of them were invited for anything but their title.

Except that wasn't true. Gabranth could pick out several people that Larsa knew by name. The head chef of the kitchens, Meredith. His messenger, Dupree. The lad that brought Larsa his nightly snack of pain au chocolat...Nicholai? Gabranth was disappointed in himself for not remembering what his name was.

And in the Dalmascan crowd he could pick out those infuriating street rats that had helped Ashe defeat him in combat. In the back, he saw the sky pirate and his Viera friend. Anger spiked through him. They dare to show their faces when they purposely left Gabranth for dead? He was surprised Larsa allowed them there.

He took his place at the front with Basch. His accursed brother chuckled and gave him an infuriatingly smug look. Odds were that he suspected what Gabranth had planned. If he were to dare say anything…

Gabranth snapped to attention as the music started to play. As expected, all of the crowd settled down save for one rather annoying child who kept babbling in the back. He prepared his heart for his liege coming back in with that fetching armor. It wouldn't do to have a heart attack during the ceremony.

At the peak of a rather deep note, the princess of Dalmasca and his liege walked into the room. He once again found it hard to breathe as he realized that the rehearsal had been a skeleton of the actual armor for the ceremony. It was far brighter than before, with an ethereal shine that _had_ to be magic and a white coating seeming to have been applied to it. A laurel had been settled on his head, highlighting his eyes in a beautiful way.

His sword looked simple but Gabranth knew better; that sword could cut through concrete like it was nothing. The armor was likely just as strong. Gabranth spared a glance at Ashe. She was wearing an elaborate skirt and a frilly top. He could see, however, the shine of amor under the folds and distracting designs.

Now that he was paying attention, he realized that the urchins and the sky pirates were _also_ equipped for a fight. They had chosen rather understated weapons and armor which was why he'd initially missed it.

Interesting. It looked like he would see if they were either lucky or capable now.

He let his mind wipe itself as the two took position in front of the priest. This was pointless to pay attention to. He had to pay attention to the crowd. Be ready for the rebellion to start.

His focus shifted as he heard, "Always together-"

He tensed.

"-never-"

The side of the building _exploded_ inwards. The crowd shrieked as one and ran for it. At least, the Rabanastran crowd did. Several of the Archades elite simply shuttled themselves for the exits on the destroyed side of the room as if they were expecting it. Soldiers poured in, weapons drawn and ready.

Around him he saw everyone in the loop pulling out their weapons. Gabranth pulled his weapons out as well. It was time to get down to business.

* * *

The soldiers took position in the rubble surrounding the wedding party. They paid no attention to the crowd around them. Through the smoke behind them he saw the obstinate head of the Senate waltzing in like he owned the place.

"Emperor Larsa!" he boomed, clearly self-important. "It is the ruling of the Senate that your traitorous actions will doom us. Aligning yourself with Dalmasca...how shameful! We must restore our pride. To that end…" He raised his hand, fingers ready to snap. "...we sentence you to die with your lowly bride and her people. We will raise Archades up from the ashes to take our rightful place again."

_Snap_!

The soldiers around them began firing magic at them. It was rather easy to dodge. These were simple soldiers who were likely fresh conscripts for this. The few bits of fire and lightning that Gabranth didn't dance through simply bounced off his armor.

He descended upon the crowd as a raptor on its prey. His swords sliced neatly through the soldiers in front and around him. They fell to the ground heavily. Gabranth flicked his swords to splatter the blood from them and pointed them at the rest. "Who's next?"

"No one," a voice behind him said in a rush. Gabranth turned, curious, to find a scene that shook his heart.

Larsa was locked in combat with a Judge Magistrate. Ashe and her crew were taking on some more experienced soldiers that had followed behind the fresh meat so they would be of no help. The other Judge Magistrates looked to be unsure of what to do, standing idly by.

"What do you think you're doing?" Gabranth snapped. He marched towards his liege and the traitor, paying no mind to the magic bouncing off his back. There was more important business than those riffraff. Ashe and her entourage could handle them.

"I'm doing what you should!" she said as she parried a strike from Larsa. "Our empire is in _ruins_ and you dare to celebrate with a wedding to the monster that destroyed it and Emperor Vayne?"

"You seem to misunderstand." Gabranth watched Larsa carefully. At the right time, he said, "Vayne was a coward who used the empire to further his selfish goal."

As he had hoped, she turned to him. "How dare-AGH!"

Larsa's sword found a home in the gap of the plates on her armor. The young emperor dodged backwards from her sweeping counterattack. Pride swept through Gabranth as he took in Larsa's perfect form. It was just as he had taught him.

"YOU!" She mindlessly slashed at Larsa who was taking defensive steps back. "You try to play a game when you're just a child! I can't believe-"

Her words stopped with a thick gurgle as Gabranth's swords sank deep into her back. Body falling limp, Gabranth shoved her off of his swords. He looked down at her and sighed. What a waste of perfectly good Judge Magistrate armor.

"I had this covered," Larsa grumbled, clearly peeved.

"I know. But you could be more useful elsewhere," Gabranth countered. He looked over to the indecisive Judge Magistrates. "You two! Who did you swear your loyalty to?"

"The emperor and the great Empire of Archades," they both answered as one.

"Then fulfill those oaths! Don't submit to traitors to the emperor!" he barked.

"I…" One still seemed on the fence, but the other flourished their kukri.

"You're right. Our emperor knows what he's doing," he said with conviction. "Where do you want me to go?"

Gabranth took a quick look at the battlefield. While most of the crowd had evacuated, he could still see groups of civilians ducked behind pews, doing their best to be smaller targets for the magic. He directed the Judge Magistrate to them. "Get these innocents out of here! Larsa and I can cover for you."

"Understood." The man nodded before running towards the nearest group. The other, while hesitant, followed without complaint.

Gabranth noted that it was just in time as soldiers from the main guard filed in. Now the real challenge would begin.

"Larsa." Gabranth took a specific stance. "Are you prepared?"

As expected, Larsa took the companion pose. "Always when I'm with you."

Gabranth ignored the flutter in his chest at the way that Larsa had said that and began marching defensively towards the crowd. Larsa kept step next to him.

"A-AH!" One soldier turned tail and ran before they even made it there. Several others were shaking but still stood their ground. A brave few charged forward at them.

"I wish we didn't have to do this," Larsa murmured regretfully. "All these men, and their families…"

"They made their choice. They must live - and die - with their decision."

After a few breaths, the first line of soldiers were in range. Larsa was the first to strike. He spun his blade and sliced cleanly through the two who were racing in with maces raised. At the same time, Gabranth's blade raced over his liege. The men that were trying to flank fell to the ground. Surprisingly, one of them was still alive, clutching at the stump of their arm and screaming for all they were worth.

Gabranth duck then. The weapons of the men to his left flew over him. One of them, a rookie soldier, ended up unbalanced, falling to the ground with an undignified flop. The other was a veteran; she took the momentum and used it to spin around to deliver a lower blow.

Larsa took it on his blade, deflecting it. "Gabranth! Sleeping on the job?"

"No. I'm more trying to keep you on your toes," Gabranth answered back as he brought his blade up in a vertical slice. The veteran was nearly cut in half by his sharp blade.

Now the semi-circle of soldiers around the two were hesitant. Several seemed like they wanted to complete the full flank but feared their blades. As they should.

Behind the soldiers then appeared the magi corps. Mixed in the crowd were novices and weathered soldiers alike.

That wouldn't do.

Gabranth gave Larsa a nod before they moved as one. As Gabranth made a flying leap, sweeping neatly into the rear row of men, Larsa danced into the front crowd. Gabranth cut the mages down like they were paper cutouts. Their armor was no match for his blades or skill.

Then, suddenly, he was sent flying from a blow from even behind the magi corps. He flew a good dozen feet through the air before he roughly skidded across the ground. His lip must have cut against the inside of his armor as he tasted blood.

"Gabranth!" Larsa had fallen back and was now guarding Gabranth. It gave the judge room to get up and face his attacker.

Interestingly, it was someone, some _thing_ , unfamiliar to Gabranth. A man with crystals of some types jutting out at various points of his body. A few tubes connected from the crystals to his arms. Sigils seemed to be carved into his arms. If Gabranth had to guess, he was likely a long-forgotten creation of Cid's.

His appearance seemed to be the signal to the soldiers to abandon the fight. The man stepped forward, a sigil on his arm beginning to glow. Then he flicked his wrist at the two.

A bolt of lightning, thicker than anything Gabranth had ever seen, shot out of one of the crystals straight at him. Larsa jumped in the way and took the blast on his blade. The electricity was so strong that Gabranth could feel his hair sticking clean out. He could hear his liege grunting in pain. Somehow, he held out.

"Hmph." The man dropped his arm. "Not fun."

"What are you talking about? I'm having a blast!" Larsa quipped. Even with the confidence, Gabranth could detect a slight waver in his voice.

Two more sigils started glowing. Gabranth moved quickly, crossing his blades in front of him while putting Larsa behind him. It was in the nick of time; a jet of water and a jet of fire shot from two crystals and combined, sending a forceful stream of steam at the two.

Gabranth tried to hold his breath as the humid heat washed over him. He could feel his skin beginning to boil on his face. Even so, he was able to prevent any of it from hitting Larsa.

"Pardon me! I'm certain you didn't mean to imply what you seem to be implying," Larsa grumbled from behind him. "Thinking I couldn't take that myself?"

"My apologies," Gabranth answered. "It's my job to protect you."

"What if I wanted to protect you more?"

"Boring." All four sigils began to glow.

"If that's the case, then start dodging like during our basic training!" Gabranth shouted, beginning to dodge to the side. He trusted Larsa to follow his orders.

The man either couldn't decide who to target or couldn't redirect his attack once it was initiated as he blasted where the two had been standing with a strange type of beam. It practically dissolved everything it touched, leaving an impressive gouge in the floor. It gave Gabranth ideas.

"Larsa!" He motioned with his hand a specific command.

Larsa nodded in understanding. Then, as one, they rushed to either side of the man.

The man seemed strangely exhausted for what little he had done. Nonetheless, he held both arms up at them. One sigil on each arm lit up. "Die!"

Gabranth leapt up while Larsa ducked down. A scorching flame shot at Gabranth while a thin fragile ray of ice flew at Larsa. Gabranth was able to clear the fire without much worry, but Larsa gasped as the ray shot clean through his shoulder. Gabranth could see that the wound was freezing over.

"Bastard!" Gabranth brought his swords down heavily on the man. His opponent spun and tried to use the crystals as shields. The judge couldn't help the smirk as his swords hit the crystals and kept going. They didn't go all the way through as he would have liked, but it was enough to spill blood.

"GAH!" The man then raised both hands right into Gabranth's face, an impressively sick smile on his face. "Goodbye."

Shock then crossed his face and he lurched forward. It was no mystery why; a sword, slender and sharp, had cut through his middle. The man stumbled against Gabranth before falling to the floor.

"Well. That ruined things." Larsa looked at his shoulder. "So much for my plan."

"Your plan seemed to work out rather well," Gabranth said, looking out to the battlefield. Basch and his friends alongside Ashe's forces seemed to have had everything contained. The rubble had bodies of all sorts resting on it, mostly Archades soldiers. What a shame.

"That's the thing. I wasn't joking when I said I wanted to propose to someone." Larsa sighed. "I was hoping to have a rather dashing wedding with everyone spick and span. And here I go, getting my armor mussed."

Gabrath's heart beat hard. "And who was this person?"

Larsa rolled his eyes. "Really, Gabranth? After ALL the clues I've dropped?" He reached up and dope slapped Gabranth. "YOU! It's YOU, you silly man!"

He simply...stared at his liege. "What?"

"Yes! You!" Larsa took Gabranth's hands in his own. "When I thought you had died, I felt like I had lost a part of myself. Something that I couldn't get back. And then...then you came back." His voice was choking with emotion. "You came back from the dead. It was all I could think about for a while. Even when planning this out, all I could think about was you, by my side, always." Larsa then reached up and put his hand just under the helmet, resting against the angle of Gabranth's jaw. "I never want to lose you again."

Gabranth was at a loss for what to say. How could he accept this? Was it really that easy?

"Well?" Larsa peered at him. "What do you say? Will you marry me, Gabranth?"

Gabranth had only one answer. It was the only choice he could make. It was everything he had wanted.


	5. Chapter 5

The cathedral was in quite the shape. One wall was caved in. Most of the pews were destroyed. The priest had to be coaxed back in to perform one last quick ceremony.

There would be another Archadian ceremony later. For now, what mattered was being married in some form or another. Of solidifying their bond for everyone to see and know.

There was no music as Gabranth walked down the aisle with Larsa. The organ had been destroyed in the chaos. Most of the crowd was gone too. The only people left were the Judge Magistrates, Ashe's strange roughshod crew, and a few brave high-ranked soldiers who had weathered the storm and came out the other side. Gabranth had tossed his helmet to the side for this.

Gabranth looked at his liege as they walked. His chocobo feathers were stripped to the nub. All the flowers were wilted and mostly petalless. The shine was gone from his armor and the dents were plain as day, especially the one against his still-wounded but tended to shoulder. There was a cut on his face that he hadn't noticed earlier. The only addition now was a veil, the one Ashe had been wearing when this had all started.

And through it all, Larsa was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen.

They took station at the front in front of the priest. Clearly fearful, the priest shortened the bonding ceremony to the important parts. A few simple phrases preceded a ribbon tying Larsa and Gabranth's hands together. Gabranth smiled at Larsa as the priest removed the ribbon in a strange fashion before he signaled Gabranth to raise Larsa's veil.

Hesitantly, reverently, Gabranth raised the veil. He beheld his liege, his lord, _his love_ …

"Well? Aren't you going to kiss me?" Larsa asked in a teasing tone.

"As you wish," Gabranth couldn't resist saying before ducking in to lay a kiss on Larsa's lips. It was a little too rough and it irritated the boils on Gabranth's face. Even then, it was the most glorious kiss he'd ever experienced. Something lit up in his chest and he was certain something special had happened.

"Together now, as one," Larsa murmured.

Gabranth rested his head against Larsa's. "Forever, and always."


End file.
